Ready to Read

You are your child’s first teacher and your home is where your child begins to learn. When you talk, sing, read, write, and play you are helping your child get ready to read. Children who are read to at an early age will be better prepared to learn.

Have heard more than 30 million words by age three

Have a significantly larger vocabulary by age six, dramatically impacting reading success

Score higher on reading, math and general knowledge test.

Becoming a Nation of Readers

U.S. Department of Education

Reading aloud to a child is the single most important activity for building the knowledge required for eventual success in reading.

How It Works

Any child from birth to until Kindergarten are eligible to begin this program.

Sign up and begin reading together.

Record the books in your 1000 Books Folder.

Read the same book more than once? Record it each time. Books read at library story time, at daycare or by others to your child also count!

After each 100 books read, bring your folder to the library and receive a FREE book along with another set of pages for your folder.

After finishing 1000 books your child will have received 10 books of their very own along with an awesome jumpstart on success in school.

You Can Do It

Growing Wisconsin Readers is a statewide initiative rooted in public libraries that aims to support Wisconsin caregivers of young children with information about early literacy so they can prepare children for learning at school and beyond.

Doctors Recommend It

The American Academy of Pediatrics issued a policy statement that promotes reading aloud to children daily, beginning in infancy.